Teacher's Corner

Looking to incorporate environmental education into your teaching?

We can help - we've developed a Grizzly Bear Education Unit!

The Importance of Grizzly Bears in our Environment (Grade 4)

When children learn about the individual nature of animals such as grizzly bears, they learn to care about their fate and also recognize that ecosystems and humans are connected. This unit of study was designed to align with the British Columbian curriculum, allowing for easy adoption by teachers, and contains five 45 minute lessons and accompanying teaching tools.

The unit corresponds to the following Big Ideas and Core Competencies (as referenced in the BC curriculum model).

Big Ideas

All living things sense and respond to their environment (Science, Grade 4)

The pursuit of valuable natural resources has played a key role in changing the land, people and communities of Canada (Social Studies, Grade 4)

Core Competencies

Communication

Thinking (creative/critical)

Personal Awareness and Responsibility

Social Responsibility

The unit of study includes a rationale, a unit overview, five lesson plans with accompanying background information sheets.

Lesson 1

Introduces specific terms that apply to the role that grizzlies occupy as ecosystem engineers and their value to both people and the land.

Lesson 2

Explores the unique physiology of grizzlies.

Lesson 3

Examines how they shape the land as they move across the landscape to meet their needs.

Lesson 4

Looks at grizzlies' social life and ways of communicating through body posture and sounds.

Lesson 5

Examines how grizzly bears and people affect one another.

Resources included in the unit:

Videos

Why Bears Online film for teachers, scientists, non-profits, and people interested in bears and preserving wild spaces